Evacuation plans for 7000 Australians living in South Korea as North prepares for nuclear strike against US

DEFENCE officials are working on plans to evacuate 7000 Australians from South Korea as Pyongyang warns of nuclear strike against the US.

Ian McPhedran, Defence Writer

News Corp Australia NetworkApril 5, 201312:41am

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October 1st 2015

2 years ago

AUSTRALIAN Defence officials are working on plans to evacuate thousands of Australians from South Korea, as Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Foreign Minister Bob Carr head to China tomorrow to urge Beijing to take stronger action against its close and unstable ally North Korea.

"The moment of explosion is approaching fast,'' the Korean People's Army general staff said, responding to what it called the provocative US use of nuclear-capable B-52 and B-2 stealth bombers in ongoing war games with South Korea.

The US aggression would be "smashed by ... cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means,'' the statement said.

"We would urge North Korea to take a step back, to ratchet down its rhetoric and its actions, to submit to a cooling off period,'' Bob Carr said.

He said the risk was that South Korea would respond to any act of aggression by the North.

North Korean dictator 30-year-old Kim Jong-un has declared war on the South and the United States and has threatened to hit both countries with nuclear weapons.

North KoreaSource:AFP

Analysts have said North Korea is not technologically capable of carrying out a strike on the US mainland but could target US troops stationed in South Korea or Japan.

The North Korean announcement came shortly after the US said it will deploy a ballistic missile defence system on its Pacific island of Guam as part of Washington's efforts to beef up its military presence in the region.

The land-based Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) "will strengthen defence capabilities for American citizens in the US territory of Guam and US forces stationed there,'' the Pentagon said.

The missile defense system includes a truck-mounted launcher, tracking radar, interceptor missiles, and an integrated fire control system.

South KoreaSource:AFP

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel called on on Pyongyang to back down from its "dangerous rhetoric.''

"We take those threats seriously. We have to take those threats seriously,'' Hagel said at the National Defence University in Washington.